Yukari Chikura - Zaido“Zaido, also known as Important Day Dance,...

Yukari Chikura - Zaido

“Zaido, also known as Important Day Dance, is thought to have originated in the early 8th century when the Imperial Palace’s ensemble paid a visit to Hachimantai in Akita Prefecture. After the decline in state support of Shinto temple complexes, the cast-out court performers found a home in the small community, repaying their favor by teaching the locals their art. It is through this somewhat unlikely union that bugaku[editor’s note: a traditional Japanese dance] was preserved to this day. 

Before the ritual, the noshu—the people performing the sacred dance—are required to undertake a very strict purification. In the longest documented cases, some of these noshu are known to have gone through 48-day long periods of complete abstinence. During these periods of religious asceticism, the participants are prohibited from sleeping in the same room as their spouses and must avoid childbirth and death. They must also not eat the meat of any animal that walks on four legs. Though currently preserved as a part of the purification ritual in only a few of the localities, a ritual involving the performance of mizugori (cold water ablutions) also exists. This ceremony is performed regardless of the fact that the place can reach temperatures of -20°C [-4°F] in winter. From the outside, this seems like a difficult task to endure. But for them, it is all part of their life and the rituals that surround it.

These days, I fear that this special culture, which has been preserved and passed down from generation to generation through many sacrifices, is starting to disappear. And yet, regardless of how many hardships they have to endure, there are still people who are willing to protect it. Witnessing their dedication, their spirituality, and their devotion, I am able to find meaning in life again. I hope this project expresses my great respect for the villagers’ love of their local community, my gratitude for the people of that community, who opened their homes to me, and my thanks to my father, watching from Heaven, who sent me to find them.”

— Yukari Chikura [via Lens Culture]